A Flight to remember
by manic-moiraine
Summary: This will be one airship ride everyone will remember...
1. Yuffie The Vampire Slayer

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'll leave it at that.  
The story is mine though, so don't take it! :)

Oh ya, and please please review!! If you do I won't have ask again next chapter!

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For any of you that have felt the sensation of flying, you might understand what its like to be airsick. Or then again…maybe not, maybe you are one of those lucky and fortunate people never to feel this awful sensation. Yuffie was not one of these fortunate people. Every time they got aboard the Highwind Yuffie felt the sensations of flying. She felt it three times as bad as everyone else, and it was not a pleasant situation. Unless you think throwing up all over a friend's precious possession is a load of fun. Oh ya, sounds like lots of fun to me. You see Yuffie had a slight problem of airsickness, quite an unpleasant way to travel. But this flight it was going to be different. Oh yes…very different indeed. Yuffie had an idea, something to take her mind off the flight and make the ride pleasurable, or at least more comfortable.

Yuffie was up to something. The gang had stopped in Costa Del Sol for a little relaxation before continuing their hunt for Sephiroth. Hey, heroes need a little break now and then don't they? Anyway…Yuffie wasn't resting like the rest of them. She spent the time in Costa Del Sol sneaking around and doing things that were considered "not resting". Not really willing to give up their own resting to investigate what the sneaky ninja was up to everyone just let her continue with her strange behavior and passed it of as some weird teenage thing. Nor did they notice the young girl sneak a strange looking package aboard the airship. Upon boarding the airship Tifa noticed a funny smile on Yuffie's lips and felt that something strange really was going on and decided to question the young trickster.

"So….Yuffie…did you enjoy our little rest? You didn't really seem to be resting."

Yuffie pondered the question trying to think up a good answer. Why didn't she take some time to relax like any rational sane person would do? Maybe because she wasn't sane and defiantly not rational. Deciding that complaining would be the best response Yuffie quickly composed a complaint.

"Well how the hell am I supposed to relax knowing that we are going to hop back on this rust-bucket!? You know I don't fly well. Even thinking of it makes me sick." And as if to prove a point Yuffie's stomach choose that moment to churn and make all sorts of nice gurgling noises proclaiming that indeed it wasn't happy. Tifa chuckled lightly at her somewhat feeling sympathy for the poor little airsick ninja but not at all understanding the predicament she was in.

"Well do you think a tranquilizer would help? I think I have one around here somewhere." Tifa searched for the indicated drug (where I'm not really sure…where do they store all that stuff?) and handed it to Yuffie.

"Thanks Teef. I think I need this right now." Yuffie grabbed the tranquilizer and darted off to a spare room to lay down…takeoffs and landings were the worst and she definitely didn't want to be standing for that.

"See ya later Yuff." Tifa called after the retreating girl. She had completely forgotten about Yuffie's strange behavior at Costa Del Sol and proceeded to find a nice spot on the Highwind to stand. Somewhere far away from Cid and his cloud of smoke that followed him. That was just icky.

After everyone was boarded and settled, the sun slowly descended in the sky. Sleep soon overtook the Highwind crew and AVALANCE members and everyone settled down for the long ride to their next destination. Yuffie was not among the settled. After a quick nap upon boarding the Highwind, Yuffie was fully awake now. Quiet laughter echoed through the halls of the Highwind as she snuck to the unoccupied cabin. "Hehehehe. This is going to be good." Yuffie mumbled as she silently crept into the cabin. It was early in the morning, the time right before the sun comes up. On a normal day Yuffie would be snoozing like the rest of group, but not today. There was something more important going on. All her careful planning and sneaking in Costa Del Sol would pay off. Today she was going to combat her airsickness. In fact she hadn't really even noticed the churning in her stomach this morning. Her mind was too preoccupied with something else than to listen to her stomach. While this was good for Yuffie it meant certain chaos for the rest of the poor heroes who were usually on the receiving end of Yuffie's infamous plans. Yuffie fondly remembered an incident with Vincent and a pack of water balloons. "_I almost didn't make it out of that one…but it was worth it_.' Yuffie snickered to herself. But enough of reminiscing…back to the plan at hand.

Tiptoeing like a spy in enemy territory, Yuffie slowly made her way to the table in the center of the room. In her arms she held something, but it was too dark to see what exactly she was carrying. Could it be the strange package from Costa Del Sol? Setting the object upon the table she made her way back to the door and locked it. Interruptions would be most unappreciated and totally jeopardize the mission at hand. As to avoid notice she only flicked on one switch. It wasn't much light but enough to see by and that's all she needed. No need to alert anyone of her presence by giving them a nice big strobe light to follow. Yuffie approached the table and sat down in front of the object. She studied it intently, first just gazing upon it, and then turning it every which way as tough she were looking for something. It appeared to be an unopened box in front of her. It was a plain brown box, slightly large but small enough to carry under your arm. Whatever could be inside it?

Yuffie turned the box back to its original position. A long piece of tape starting on the side and working its way over the box and to the other side was the only thing keeping Yuffie from her prize. She slowly took out her little knife carefully concealed under her shorts and carefully sliced the tape holding the box together. The excitement was slowing mounting inside her, and she had to calm herself so she could carefully return her knife to its safe place without injuring herself. Taking a few deep breaths she successfully calmed herself enough to return her knife. Scolding herself for her silly burst of excitement she reasoned there was no need since she already knew what was inside. Shaking her head of all stray thoughts she turned her attention back to the box. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She gasped as she reached into the opened box and felt the coldness of the metal inside the box. She grasped the object with her small hands and lifted out of the box. There in her hands was the result of all her hard work and her newest toy. This was the answer to her airsickness, and the boredom that accompanied the airship. This was the answer to all her problems. She couldn't believe that she'd never thought of this before. It was the perfect plan, and now she had what she needed. Setting the metal object on the table Yuffie rubbed her hands together and grinned evilly as she looked upon the object in the flickering light. What a beautiful and most wondrous sight. She had been waiting to open this and put it to use since she snuck it on board. Oh she had plans for this new toy of hers, wondrous plans. Slowly stroking the shiny metal of the paintball gun she hummed to herself while searching around the gun for other supplies. She smiled and picked up a pair of goggles safely hidden in the box that just previously held the gun.

Strapping the orange tinted goggles on her head, she abandoned the gun for a short while to complete her uniform. The goggles were a good touch but just not enough for what Yuffie had planed. Scanning the room the ninja noticed a small closet in the corner of the room. She walked over to the closet and flung the doors open hoping to find something usable inside. '_What luck!'_ Yuffie thought. '_This must be where they keep the extra uniforms for the flight crew.'_ She opened the door and gazed upon the fight crew uniforms. They were one piece uniforms that were unattractive and a dull gray in color, obviously not meant for style. Instead of buttons a single zipper starting at the waist and zipped up to the neck was used. Yes they were very unattractive and clearly not made for women. But still, it was perfect. Shuffling through the garments the ninja sighed, all the uniforms where so large. '_Are all the crewmembers on steroids or something?'_ Yuffie reasoned as she looked at the last and smallest uniform. Finally she found one that might fit her. Fingering the shoulders of the garment Yuffie deemed it worthy and slid the garment off the hanger on which it sat. "Perfect!" she giggled quietly to herself as she took off her boots and stepped into the uniform. Carefully zipping it up she noticed it easily fit on over her regular cloths and even left a little extra room. The legs were a little long, but when tucked into her boots appeared to fit perfectly. When the uniform was secure she started her search for a pair of gloves. There had to be an extra pair somewhere in the closet. Sure enough there were a couple of pairs, and they all happened to be on the top most self of the closet. Sulking, she thought to herself _'curse my shortness'_ and proceeded to come up with a plan to acquire the gloves.

Ignoring the fact that she was in a room with several chairs, Yuffie rolled up the long sleeves of the uniform and prepared herself to jump. _'1…2…3…Jump!'_ Grabbing on to the self she let a small smile touch her lips _'Victory is mine!'_ It wasn't for long. Unbeknownst to her the shelf was not attached in the back. The force of her weight pulling down in front caused the shelf to tilt forward sending a downpour of gloves on the small ninja. Surprised by the sudden turn of events Yuffie suddenly let go of the self and landed hard on her bottom. _'Thank goodness falling gloves are somewhat quiet'_ Yuffie thought as she looked at the door franticly waiting for it to open. Even though the gloves fell quietly, she didn't. Yuffie really didn't want her adventure to end before it even started. After several minutes of a staring contest with the door, she turned her attention back to the gloves. Sticking her tongue out at the problematic gloves scattered around her on the floor she pushed herself up and rubbed the spot where she landed. _'Ouch that is defiantly going to leave a bruise,'_ she silently thought as she pouted. Having successfully, if not gracefully, gotten the gloves down, she dropped to her knees and began to search through them to find a pair that fits. Five minutes later Yuffie pulled out the smallest looking pair. Sliding on the brown leather gloves she frowned. They were a little big, but they would have to do. Stuff tends to be too big when you are small. "Now my uniform is complete." She whispered silently to herself while readjusting the orange goggles so that they now sat comfortably on top of her head just over her bandana.

The paint gun lay silently forgotten on the table. It seemed as though the one light shining upon it did nothing but give the gun a more menacing look. It lay forgotten, but not for long. It was merely set aside until the costume had been completed. Turning her attention back to the gun Yuffie walked back to the table to make her final preparations. Searching the box once more Yuffie pulled out three jars of brightly colored paint that had gone unnoticed before in all the prior excitement. One jar held a dark navy blue paint, which reminded Yuffie of a darkened sky before a storm. Another held a vibrant green, the color the grass and healthy plants. But the third held Yuffie's color of choice, a deep red. Red, the color of blood. It would work perfectly for this little adventure of hers. Having chosen the perfect color she loaded the gun. Then slinging the gun over her shoulder she unlocked the door and walked back to her room as quietly as she could. She knew there was a mirror there and she wanted to see her completed look. Shutting her door quietly as to not wake the others, she walked over to the mirror and gazed upon it. Everything was perfect and in place. _'This is it' _she thought to herself as she placed the goggles back to their proper place over her eyes. _'Wow do I look fantastic.'_ She smirked into the mirror. _'Nobody would ever suspect me. I'm poor little Yuffie, stuck lying on her back waiting for the flight to end so the airsickness will cease.'_

"Well not today. Today I go vampire hunting."

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Spiced it up a bit and reposted this first chapter. Planning on doing the same to the second…later though…to late now.  
Third chapter in the process of being written. 

Hopefully its better and I get more reviews so I have some motivation to finish it.

Thanks to my 2 reviewers so far. :)


	2. Target Number One

Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
Horray for me…this it the revised second chapter. I reread it and wanted to add some stuff. So here it is.  
Now I can finish writing the next chapter. But just to warn ya….I'm a big procrastinator.

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Target Number One:

Tifa – Age 20 – I have a feeling she might be the easiest in the group to take out first. On the outside she seems to be kind and gentle but I know that she's a ruthless killer. She's very attached to Cloud and must be taken out before him for this operation to be successful. She would come to his aid and two is too much for me to handle at this time. Most likely location is it the kitchen preparing a feast for the rest of the vampire crew.

Time to begin the hunt.

Yuffie had selected as her first target, the only female vampire aboard the airship. Besides, the others would probably be sleeping yet. Just because they were all heroes and stuff didn't mean they like to get up early. On a normal day, unlike today, Yuffie too would be fast asleep and dreaming of materia. Taking a deep breath Yuffie opened the door and crept out into the darkness of the airship. It was eerily quiet without everyone running around trying to get stuff done. The only thing that could be heard was the dripping of several pipes. '_Eww__ Grossness'_ Yuffie thought as she tried to avoid the leaking of the pipes. She wasn't quite sure what it was that was dripping but she had a pretty good idea and decide she didn't really want to know. With that thought in mind Yuffie went about her current quest.

Creeping as slowly as she could Yuffie proceeded to the cargo hold. Weaving in and out of the boxes she giggled at how much fun she was having already. The gang seldom let her play around like this. As serious as their mission was, they still needed to have a little fun. Didn't they? Maybe that's why they always called her a brat and such. They were just jealous of how much fun she was able to have given the seriousness of the journey they were on. Oh well, all that mattered right now was her mission at hand. Nodding her head in the dark Yuffie continued her journey to the kitchen.

Slowly approaching the kitchen Yuffie could see a faint yellow light flooding out of the door. Sounds of clanging and such were floating out of the kitchen door. Yup, that had to be Tifa. No one else would touch Tifa's prized cooking pans or even know what to do with them. Yuffie took note of this and decided it was time to take action. Slinging the gun over her back, she dropped to her hands and knees. Slowly she made her way to the door and peered cautiously around the doorframe. What she saw was a young woman hurrying around the kitchen and looking rather busy. _'That's her'_ thought Yuffie to herself satisfied. Tifa was twenty years old. She stood about 5'4" and had long brown hair that almost reached the back of her knees. She wore a short, tight white tank top that clearly showed what she had to offer and a short black leather miniskirt. She used to own a bar in Midgar before it was destroyed; maybe that was why she had a fondness for cooking. Hmm, anyway… Her primary choice of weapon was her fists and although they may not seem deadly she was trained and knows how to use them effectively. Not someone to mess with, unless you knew what you were getting into. Yuffie knew what she was getting into. At least she hoped she did.

Lost in her thoughts Yuffie barely noticed when Tifa started to make her way to the kitchen door. Looking up she realized that any second Tifa would see her and the game would be over. Panicking she looked around for somewhere to hide, anywhere to hide. Thankfully, something in the kitchen at that moment fell onto the floor. Mumbling Tifa turned around to go and pick it up while Yuffie quickly dashed away from the door and dove behind some boxes. In her hurry to regain cover she neglected to keep silent. Yuffie mentally slapped herself for not taking it more slowly. What kind of ninja was she anyway? This was basic ninja stuff, to be able to sneak around unnoticed. And what was she if not a ninja?

"Hey, who's there? Cloud? Is that you? How many times have I told you to stay out of the kitchen until I'm finished!! I don't need you messing around in here again. Now knock it off or you are getting cold beans for breakfast!" Yuffie held her breath as Tifa continued her rating and approached the kitchen door. "Hey!! Where did you go now? If I catch you this frying pan is making contact with your head." Swinging the frying pan around wildly she looked like a mad housewife going on a rampage. Sighing she returned to the kitchen. "Hmm…Maybe it was something else. I better hurry and finish this before anyone else wakes up and interrupts me. I hate to be interrupted." Tifa mumbled to herself. Yuffie let out the breath she had been holding. _'That was a close one, better be more careful next time.' _Then she had to hold in a giggle at the sight of Tifa wildly waving the frying pan around. '_So Cloud likes to sneak into the kitchen. Hmmm. I wonder how many times the frying pan has made contact with Clouds head. Hehehe' Anyway_… Back to the mission at hand.

Yuffie once again came out from behind the boxes and slowly approached the kitchen door. This time she wasn't going to get distracted. _'Its time to get down to business.__ The bitch is going down.'_ Soft humming could be heard from the kitchen as the martial artist continued her cooking. _'She can't fool me with that innocent humming; I know what a ruthless killer she can be.' _Yuffie flattened herself to the floor and slowly inched herself through the door. She hid behind the counter and waited to make her move. Fifteen minutes later Yuffie decided that she had had enough. Her legs were starting to cramp from her crouched position and her arm was going numb from keeping herself pressed against the counter. _'Doesn't this girl ever leave the kitchen?'_ Looking around she saw a small pebble lying on the floor by her feet. _'Perfect'_. She situated herself, gun ready, and tossed the pebble out of the kitchen door. The only thing to do next was to wait for Tifa to hear the noise and investigate with her frying pan. And sure enough the young bartender went after the bait and out the door.

"Huh?" Tifa had heard some noise outside of the kitchen again. _'Cloud is going to get it'_ she thought as she grabbed the frying pan off the counter. _'He's the only one dumb enough to bother me in here.'_ Making her way quickly to the door she failed to notice the tiny ninja hiding behind the counter. A big mistake on her part.

"HAHAHA DIE VAMPIRE BITCH" Yuffie shouted as she stood up and fired the gun at the stunned woman. Turning around Tifa was shocked by what she saw. She could only describe it as an armed and disgruntled worker, who seemed to possess the voice of someone she knew. But who did the voice belong too? As she was staring and pondering, she felt something hit her in the chest with quite an impact. The force caused her to stumble backwards and fall onto the pile of boxes Yuffie had taken refuge in earlier. Touching the spot where she felt the impact, Tifa pulled back her fingers which were covered in a thick red goo. _'That's not my blood is it? It just doesn't seem right' In_ the other hand she still clutched the frying pan like a scared child hanging on to their mother. _'What the hell is going on?'_

"Got you, evil vampire," came the familiar voice from the mad worker. She was now standing over Tifa with a huge grin upon her face. This was far more fun than she ever imagined it could be. Tifa still stared straight ahead not quite comprehending what was going on. Sliding the goggles onto the top of her head Yuffie set the gun on the floor and leaned in for a closer look.

"Uh Tifa? It's just me Yuffie."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!! AND WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING ME A VAMPIRE!!!" Grimacing Yuffie stepped back and placed her gloved hands over her ears to help lessen the blow.

"I'm just trying to keep my mind off of airsickness."

"By shooting red goo at my chest?!"

"Well, gawd. I've gotta do something Teef." Yuffie placed her hands on her hips and stared back down and the still shocked girl. The shocked girl looked up her and…well…looked shocked.

"Its just paint."

"I don't care what the fuck it is! Don't shoot it at me!" Tifa shouted as she sparked back to life again. Yuffie decided to stick out her tongue out at the taller girl as Tifa proceeded to stand up and place her hands on her hips like Yuffie had earlier and like most girls do when they are upset about something. Yuffie noticed she was still equipped with the frying pan and prayed to Leviathon that Tifa had forgotten what she still held in her hand.

"And what's with all this vampire business?" Tifa asked the young ninja. Yuffie could tell she was still agitated as she started swinging her frying pan around madly again.

"Its just a little game. Besides don't you think YUFFIE THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has a nice ring to it?" Yuffie responded with an innocent looking grin on her face while stepping back even farther away from Tifa. No one fancies being hit by a frying pan.

"Now don't go and tell anyone else, ok Tifa. I shot you and now you are dead. Besides, would you rather have me leaning over the airship deck? I don't think so." Decideing now would be a good time to lighten Tifa's mood Yuffie tactfully switched subjects. "Any idea where Cloud is?" She asked. "As the leader, I think it would be best if I took him out next." Okay, I guess not really switching subjects but Tifa would like to see Cloud on the floor covered in paint wouldn't she? Hmm, maybe the revenge card would be the right way to play it. "Hey, if it makes you feel better think of this as me getting him back for all the idiotic stupid things he has ever said to you." After hearing that last sentence Tifa decided it would be best to disclose the location of the fearless leader and let him have it. After all she'd been hit by Yuffie why not him as well?

"He should be in the meeting room preparing the stuff he prepares." Tifa said without a moment of hesitation. "Whatever that is," She mumbled under her breath. What was it that he did around here, other than tell people what to do? As much as she cared for him, it would make her happy to see him bombarded with this thick red goo. Sometimes he was just an idiot. And this idiot had it coming.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Yuffie responded with an elegant bow. Walking over to the abandoned gun she picked it up and slung it over her shoulder once again. Readjusting her goggles back over her eyes she glanced back one more time at Tifa and the mess of boxes.

"Now remember, don't go telling anyone and ruining my fun, I'll make it worthwhile for you. Just think of Cloud. Oh and ya better go get clean up…well better yet just try and stay out of sight." Yuffie instructed her older friend. Tifa stood up, nodded to Yuffie, and gave her a quick wink before disappearing into one of the dark hallways of the Highwind.

"Target one eliminated." She whispered to herself and left in the direction of the meeting room.


	3. Target Number Two

Horray! All done with this chapter now. 

Katah: I'm on a favorite list! Thank you I feel so happy :-D  
R. Madillo: Hope you like what I did with Cloud.  
Isrea Ishiida: You are right that Clouds not really an idiot, I was thinking more along the line of that's what Yuffie and Tifa were thinking at the moment. So I hope cleared it up in this chapter and gave him the credit he deserves.

A side note, might be a while for the next chapter…My room is kinda torn apart because it's going to be painted…so might not be able to get to my computer for awhile…sorry…but I'll try my hardest anyway.

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Target Number Two:

Cloud – Age 21 – My second target in the hunt. He is the supposed leader and I do not believe he will prove much of a threat. His skills lie in persuading the group that his idea is the one we will follow. Also he seems to be somewhat of an idiot at times. Alright this may not be quite true but you have to agree that sometimes it's hard to tell where he's coming from, right? Oh, and his hair looks like a chocobo's butt. Hehehe. Anyway, his location is most likely location is the meeting room.

The hunt continues.

Elated from her first victory Yuffie pondered on the best way to approach her next victim. She had been informed from a reliable source that his most likely location would be in the meeting room…pondering the meaning of life. Or, on what crazy thing he was going to put the gang through next. She decided that would be the best place to look first. Yuffie just hoped that he wasn't sleeping yet. A sleeping target wouldn't be as much fun or prove to be much of a challenge. Creeping down the hallway, the young ninja stealthily made her way to meeting room. However, she didn't quite make it, at least not yet. On her way she managed to trip over something laying in the middle of the hallway, which landed her flat on her face. _'Hmmm, maybe the orange tinted goggles were a bit much for this dimly lit airship.'_ Yuffie situated the goggles on top of her head, in a Cid like fashion, and pushed herself into a seated position. It was then that she heard a soft grunt from behind her, meaning she had tripped over _someone_, not s_omething_.

"Yuffie, you should take more care when trampling about." Red XIII proclaimed to Yuffie. He had been lounging in the middle of the hallway. Which brings up a good point…what was he doing in the middle of the hallway? The ninja couldn't resist asking that question so she did.

"Just what are you doing in the middle of the hallway?" Yuffie asked while turning around to face him. "Maybe I wouldn't trip over you if you found a better spot to lie down."

"And maybe you wouldn't if you'd stop creeping around and watch where you were going."

He had her there. Just how was she supposed to respond to that? In the usual Yuffie way of course.

"And just what were you doing the in middle of the hallway?"

Red sighed. He really shouldn't have been laying in the hall. Hallways tend to be a traffic area and he didn't enjoy being trampled on. However, no one was usually up this early in the morning and this hallway was particularly cool and breezy. He was very fond of this hallway.

"Um, hellooo? Red? Anyone home?" Yuffie was getting impatient with Red's pondering and frankly she really didn't care where he laid, as long as it was in her path.

"Yes Yuffie?"

"This conversation is going nowhere and I've got somewhere to be so I'm sorry for tripping over you. See ya later." Yuffie stood up and was about to leave when Red's question stopped her.

"What are you doing"

Yuffie groaned and turned back around to face Red. She gave him her best pouty face. Apparently it wasn't good enough.

"Yuffie you know that won't work on me. Now what are you up to? You are never up this early, never dressed that oddly, never carrying a gun, and never…not sick?" Red questioned.

"Yup, exactly." Yuffie smiled at him. Maybe this would go better than she thought. She was never really planned on Red as a target anyways. It just didn't seem right. Besides then he'd have to take a bath and that would make the whole airship smell like wet dog. _'Ewww, grossness.'_ Yuffie just hoped that Red would let her continue her little game and not spill the beans.

" Please, please, please, don't say anything Red. I'm just having a little fun, and it's keeping me from spilling my lunch all over the airship!" she pleaded to Red.

"What exactly are you doing Yuffie?"

"Uh…well….Imshootingpeoplewiththispaintballgun."

"Yuffie, I don't speak the teenager language and you know that. Now explain it to me again, and this time more slowly." Red sighed and shook his head at the silliness of young humans. Taking a deep breath Yuffie told Red again, this time at a much better rate of speed.

"Well, I'm shooting people with this paintball gun. I'm the hunter and they are the vampires."

"….Well just don't cause any major trouble. And if anyone asks, I didn't see you and you didn't see me. That way you continue your 'fun' and I don't have to tell anyone, deal?"

"Deal." Yuffie patted Red on the head and skipped off down leaving Red to shake his head and turn down the other way of the dark hallway.

"Ok, back to the mission at hand." Yuffie said to herself ceasing her skipping down the hallway. She was elated Red was going to keep his mouth shut, but that was no reason to draw more attention to herself. As Yuffie approached the meeting room, she slipped into stealth mode and pressed her back against the wall. Slowly inching her way down the wall she stopped at the meeting room door and listened for any signs that it was occupied. She couldn't hear any voices but it sounded like some shuffling inside. The shuffling of papers maybe, or feet? How was she going to get a peek in there with out exposing herself? For all she knew the person in there was looking directly at the open door beside her. Hmmm…what to do? Yuffie listened intently as the shuffling noise turned into scratches. Her best guess was that someone was writing on the planning board in the back of the room. Well it seemed as though it was now or never.

Grabbing the door frame, Yuffie used it to balance herself as she leaned around to peek in the doorway. Standing at the back of the room, writing on the board, was the twenty-one year old guy Yuffie was looking for. Straining for a better look she thought she could make out a map with tiny arrows going off every which way. Given their leaders lack of good planning skills sometimes, she still believed that he was going to prove a formidable opponent. Dressed in all blue he stood about 5'7" and had "chocobo hair" as Yuffie like to call it. She also noticed that his buster sword wasn't in the room with him. A good thing for her, because she wasn't about to step in that room unidentified when he had his sword handy. Cloud was a mercenary and an ex-member of SOLDIER so he knew all about fighting with or without his sword. Yuffie was going to have to be careful or she could seriously get hurt going after him. _'Oh well, all the more fun.'_ She thought to herself while readjusting the goggles over her eyes. A slight smile found its way to her lips as she proudly strolled into the room. Now she could go about this two ways. She could just shoot the unexpecting Cloud in the back, or she could get his attention first and make the whole event more challenging. Yuffie decided on option number two.'

"Hey chocobo-head, you better watch out." She called while readying her gun.

"What the…?" Cloud turned around and took one look at the uniform clad Yuffie, gun in hand, and decided that his best option was to dive under the big table in the middle of the room. Yuffie fired the gun but missed and hit the board, right around Cosmo Canyon, as Cloud quickly avoided her shot.

"Damn!" she hissed under her breath and continued her taunting of the poor leader. "Hey get out here! What kind of fearless leader hides under a table!?" Meanwhile, under the table, Cloud racked his brain desperately in order to think of some plan against this deranged crew member. If it was just an ordinary crew member, as he had thought, then this shouldn't be too difficult, most of the crew had never been properly trained in the art of combat. Looking around for something useful Cloud noticed a pencil on the floor. It must have rolled off when he dived under the table. Letting out a big sigh, Cloud decided that a pencil was better than no weapon at all. So pencil in hand he rolled from underneath the table and stood up facing his attacker. The attacker found this quite humorous and told him so.

"What kinda damage do you think you can do with that?" Yuffie giggled, getting blank look from Cloud. "I mean have you seen my weapon?" She emphasized this point by raising the gun and pointed directly at Cloud's head. Cloud watched his opponent curiously and decide to attack while she was busy yakking away. He lunged forward with the pencil hoping that by some miracle he could wound this crazed maniac and figure out what was going on. Yuffie noticed a look in his eyes and knew that he was going to attack. So she played it dumb and kept talking so he would think that she didn't know what was going on. When she saw him charge at her, Yuffie quickly darted to the right, but she wasn't quite fast enough. The pencil gave a good jab in her left shoulder. She spun around and turned to face him as he situated himself in battle stance by the doorway. Seeing that he wasn't going to attack at the moment, Yuffie took this opportunity to glance at her left shoulder. It looked alright to her, there was no tear in the uniform so it couldn't have draw blood, but it would surly leave a good bruise in the morning. Apparently Cloud was dangerous no matter what he held in his hands.

"Hmm, I see you are going to give me quite a workout aren't you?" Cloud nodded at her statement and tried attacking again while she was occupied in her thoughts. Yuffie anticipated this move and quickly dodged out of the way and back to the door. She couldn't be fooled twice with the same move. Cloud stopped next to the big table and turned back around facing Yuffie once again. Deciding maybe this time she was in over her head and Cloud might actually try to injure her badly Yuffie raised the gun and fired off a shot. Cloud used his quick reflexes to pick up a large book on the table and block the shot, but not before the ninja got a glance at the title.

"Chocobo catching for dummies? Cloud I would have thought better of you. Now be a good little vampire boy and let me SHOOT YOU!!" Yuffie shouted while firing the gun in the approximate direction of Cloud. The mercenary, confused and a little annoyed dropped his weapon and shield and carefully rolled beneath her shooting. He quietly laughed as he kicked the gun from out of her hands. The gun flew over her head and out the door into the hallway. It was at that point he realized that the gun hadn't shot through the book like it should have. What kind of gun was that?

"Shit! What did you do that for? How am I going to shoot you without my gun?" Yuffie put on her pouty face once again to try and confuse the already bewildered Cloud. And to her astonishment it actually worked. Cloud laying on his back looked up at this orange goggled, uniform clad crew member and wondered when Cid had hired a girl, to his knowledge all the crew members on board where males. The only females on board were Tifa and Yuffie. So this was either a stowaway or one of the previous mentioned girls. Looking her up and down Cloud decide that it couldn't be Tifa, she was too short and not…cough…big chested. But how could it be Yuffie? She couldn't stand the airship and spent every trip moaning and groaning about when they were going to land.

"Gawd! Would you stop looking me over and get up so we can continue this!" There was no mistake this time. Now that he was looking for it he could tell that voice belonged to Yuffie. Not only did it sound like her, but she was using Yuffie terms. But how was she able to stand with out getting sick? Cloud decided that was a question for later. For now he would humor her a bit more. Besides all that planning was getting boring and this would keep him busy for awhile. Standing up he went back into his famous battle stance and put up his fists. It had been awhile since he'd fought hand to hand but it wouldn't hurt to practice a little.

"Oh, I see. Hand to hand combat. Hmm I'm a little rusty but I'll give it a shot." Yuffie responded while raising her hands and giving Cloud a good punch in the stomach. Not expecting she'd be so quick to react, Cloud wasn't ready and stumbled backwards and almost fell on top of the table. Giving him no time to regain his composer Yuffie charged and was rewarded with a swift kick to her ankle causing her to fall backwards on to her behind. It was apparent both were well trained in hand to hand combat. Yuffie swiftly jumped up and raised her fists to once again face Cloud. Giving her an evil looking smile Cloud took his turn to advance and pumped his fists in her direction. Yuffie raised her arms and blocked his attacks with her forearms wincing as attacks became more forceful and made her arms feel tender. He was slowly pushing her back and if she didn't do something soon he'd have her backed into a corner. Pausing to take a breath Cloud stepped back and gave Yuffie the opportunity she needed to finally return some attacks.

"My turn now." Yuffie said to him with an equally evil smile. She attacked similarly to Cloud, however she was faster but less forceful. She didn't quite have that manly strength that he had. Cloud easily blocked her attacks and pondered how to stop them and gain the upper hand. Thankfully for Cloud, but unfortunately for Yuffie, Cloud got his chance when she decided to spice things up and thrust a kick his way. Cloud effortlessly grabbed her ankle and held it firmly as Yuffie tried to regain her balance. They stood that way for a moment, just staring at each other wondering what the other was going to do next. Deciding that she was disadvantaged at the moment, Yuffie tried to wiggle her ankle free and even the grounds again. Cloud let go thinking that her squirming would cause her to lose her balance again and fall. Instead Yuffie pressed her newly freed leg against the palm of Cloud's hand and raising her arms flipped backwards pressing her palms to the cold ground and swinging her legs over her head. She landed quite gracefully, surprising Cloud. He had no idea that their fifteen year old companion had so much agility. She always attacked with her shrunken simply throwing it at their enemies and therefore never had the opportunity to show off her other skills. Of course she had always been good at stealing materia now that he thought of it. And that's has got to take skill, stealth, and a bit of gracefulness to be able to do something like that.

"My, what nice moves you have there Yuffie." Cloud said to Yuffie with a wink. She took this as a sign that even though he knew it was her, it wasn't over yet.

"Not to bad yourself Spike. But I wonder…which of us is better?" Smirking she took after him once again swinging her leg high and aiming for his head. Cloud swiftly ducked and reached out his hand to grab her other leg, the one keeping her upright. Yuffie noticed this but a little to late. With her leg swinging over Clouds head she had no time to react to his attack. She fell heavily on her back and her head bounced on the hard floor of the airship.

"Ouch." Yuffie proclaimed as she closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her head with her hands, momentarily forgetting her fight with the blond ex-solider. A bad idea on her part. Cloud licked his lips and smiled. What a wonderful opportunity that had presented itself. Slowly, as to not attract her attention, Cloud walked over to Yuffie and stood above her. In one quick motion he was sitting on top of her and holding her previously occupied hands above her head in his left hand. Yuffie felt this change and closed her eyes tighter. Although she knew the position they were in, seeing would confirm what she felt and she did not want to confirm that.

Cloud pushed the goggles to her forehead with his right hand and leaned in closer. Lowering his head, he positioned his lips close to her ear. "What's the matter Yuffie? Can't admit defeat?" Cloud asked her teasingly. She could feel his hot breath on her face and chose not to respond. What could she possible say in a situation like this? Although she never thought of Cloud as anything but a friend, she couldn't help but think about what it would be like to be with him now that they were in this situation. She mentally shook her head at the thought. Damn Cloud, and her mind, for betraying her in a moment like this. Cloud was just teasing her. They both knew his thoughts were of another woman. Which one Yuffie couldn't be sure but what she did know was that he was going to pay for this little act. She would not give in and let him win.

Cloud lifted his head and watched the young ninja's face. It was obvious to him that she was thinking about something. Just what was going through her mind? Yuffie's thoughts had drifted away from Cloud and onto…well…Cloud. But this time they were thoughts on how to reverse this most unfortunate predicament she was in. After racking her brain for a few moments she slowly opened her eyes and gave Cloud a shy smile. He did not like the look on her face. She mouthed to him 'sorry' then did what any other girl in her predicament would do. She raised her leg and kneed him in the balls. Cloud, face now looking white as a ghost, let go of her wrists and rolled over to her right side clutching a very sensitive area. As he lay there on his right side a shocked expression plastered on his face, Yuffie stood up and brushed the unseen dirt off her uniform. Making her way to the hallway, with no haste, she smiled at the paint gun patiently waiting there on the floor. Picking it up, she made her way back into the room and stood over the still pained Cloud.

"You know, you really had that coming to you. You shouldn't mess with Yuffie the Vampire slayer extraordinaire." She triumphantly raised her gun and pointed it at the ceiling. Then she pointed it at his cheat and fired. Raising the tip of the gun by her mouth she blew imaginary smoke away and slung the gun back over her shoulder. Deeming target number two eliminated she sat down in a chair next to the big table in the center of the room. Looking around the room she admired her handiwork, mainly being the few red blotches of paint on board and discarded book on the floor. _'Who will be my next target'_ she thought to herself but was interrupted with a slight moan from across the room.

Cloud, still in pain but bearable now, was sitting up from his place on the floor. "Just what is going on Yuffie?" He questioned her.

"Hmm, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you." She smiled in his direction. "Oh wait. I already did. Darn. Well if ya wanna know just go ask Mr. Red he knows all about it. Tell him I sent ya. I don't feel like explaining right now. And don't tell anyone else! Oh, by the way sorry. Feeling any better yet?"

"Ya, I'm ok now. No permanent damage done. Although that was a very dirty trick you played on me." Cloud responded.

"Well you weren't fighting clean either. I have to say though that was a good match. I haven't had a chance to use my hand to hand skills in quite a while."

"Me neither. You know, you are a lot better than I would have expected you to be." He said with an honest smile. Returning his smile with one of her own, Yuffie stood up and walked to the door.

"Thanks Cloud, and for being such a good sport I'm going to give you your chocobo lure back. I think your book was ruined." With a flash Yuffie was searching through some hidden pockets and produced a shiny purple orb. Rubbing it in her hands she sighed and lightly tossed it to Cloud who caught it and transferred it to one of his hidden pockets.

"You know chocobo catching is nearly impossible with out that materia."

"I know." Yuffie smiled guiltily at him.

"Well don't do that again. If you are going to steal my materia make it a fire or something like that."

_'Hmmm, next time…'_ Yuffie thought to herself and shook her head to clear the thoughts for now.

"You are a lot smarter than you look you know…"

"You too Yuff…" Blushing at Cloud's comment Yuffie decided that now would be a good time to make her departure.

"Thanks again Cloud, but as much as I'd like to stay here and exchange compliments I have more important things to attend to."

"Like what?"

"My next target. I've got some more vamps to kill." She answered and disappeared through the doorway.

_'Two down and three more to go.___


End file.
